radio issues

[loelyf]

2007 EL Eddie Bauer, all stock...
last week had to replace the alternator & battery. Now i have no lights on the radio (radio works fine), i can not play from the "aux input", steering wheel controls do not work anymore, & the delay after turning off is no longer working. I used the search feature here & only found 1 thread with similar problems dated all the way back in 2011, but no clue as to what the problem may be. Has anyone else had this issue & can possibly help lead me to a solution. All the fuses in the kick panel appear to be fine. Not sure where to go from here. Any help you could offer will be greatly appreciated.

 

[k9education]

Have you checked the wiring harness at the back of the stereo? The stereo is very easy to access. Just grab a plastic pry tool and the trim pops right off. Now I doubt that's the problem, but it's something easy to check and not a bad place to start. That said, it sounds more like a short. I would check for a bad ground somewhere, particularly around the replaced parts.

 

[loelyf]

thanks. I'll look into that this evening.

 

[GAINMOB]

and check all fuses/relays...something may have popped/fried

 

[loelyf]

I've checked all the fuses in the passenger side kick panel. the ones under the hood are all "high capacity" fuses. is there a fuse on the back of the head unit itself? dumb question, but how does one go about "checking the relays"?

 

[stamp11127]

Do you have a basic understanding of auto electrical? Also, do you have any electrical test equipment such as test light & digital multimeter?
Where there any issues when replacing the alternator such as shorting to ground or reversing polarity on the cables?

 

[loelyf]

i have a general understanding of auto electrical. no issues when replacing either the battery or the alternator. obviously the battery was disconnected when i changed the alternator. i just find it hard to believe that it would be anything other than the head unit itself, since the stereo is the only thing that is affected. There have been others that had this problem after replacing these items, but no one seems to have an answer why. As i stated above, that thread ended in 2011 with no conclusion.

 

[stamp11127]

I was curious about your problem so did some searching on the net & came across the following link. If it proves true it just tells me the electronics in the radio are pure junk.

Expedition: 2007 ford expedition, replaced battery and now

 

[loelyf]

Thanks for that link. That sounds exactly like the problem I am having. I am going to get a new radio ordered & will let you guys know if that was the fix. Thanks again for all your help.